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Greg Kerkvliet

Maple Grove, Minnesota
Commenter for
28 weeks 2 days

Recent Comments

Posted on 05/05/13 at 11:20 pm in response to Wolves makeover: My take on Taylor/Saunders 2.0

1) I'm wary of any positioning of Adelman as unwilling to let others have some control in decision-making. He let Kahn sign Roy and Shved last year, he probably was overruled on getting rid of Williams last summer, and my guess is that he needed help orchestrating the Suns/Hornets 3-way to dump Wes' contract. He has no history of quitting, which makes me still think the only reasons he'll walk away will be due to his wife's health or at the end of his contract. He may not carry final control...

Posted on 04/18/13 at 05:46 pm in response to Wolves denouement: 2012-13 season recap and final grades

One quick note: Kahn also seemed to have a hand in getting AK, particularly in the machinations required to offer him $10 mil. I'll be glad if he's gone, as the drafts have too often been a circus for a team who needed young talent. It's tough for me to think of Kahn, though, and not partially or wholly indict the one(s) who hired him. A team with a below-average management group is better than no team, I guess, but higher expectations should be in order.

I had rankings written out...

Posted on 04/19/13 at 09:50 am in response to Wolves denouement: 2012-13 season recap and final grades

In the stands during games and on Twitter, my perception of the consensus was that Shved>JJ and CJ>Stiemsma. I think they were better in that they deserved to play when many questioned that.

Going back to JJ, though, based on how well he played in Dallas and his effectiveness when paired w Rubio or Ridnour, I can't pin his play solely on questionable judgment. Shved is an awful pairing with him, and Stiemsma and DC don't shoot well enough to make high screens effective. I agree...

Posted on 04/22/13 at 09:52 am in response to Wolves denouement: 2012-13 season recap and final grades

But it's silly to slot players into categories based on which pick they were when those are solely based on the strength of their draft class (unless you think the Wolves would've taken him instead of guys who went 2-5 in previous drafts). Williams wasn't good enough to keep this team competitive in Love's absences, that's for sure, but even Love at age 21 would've struggled with keeping up with the production that Love at 23 established. As for realistic expectations, he was always an...

Posted on 04/22/13 at 03:40 pm in response to Wolves denouement: 2012-13 season recap and final grades

Williams might not ever be a good passer, but his defense and shot have as much of a chance to improve as Shved's, and he's already a better scorer than Shved. Either way, Shved's output is overrated. Shved's shooting percentages were basically that of Malcolm Lee, a guy who everyone wished never shot; they weren't actually that much higher than Ricky Rubio, considered by many as one of the worst shooting PGs in the NBA.

Just for fun, here's how I'd interpret their years: Williams...

Posted on 04/10/13 at 02:40 pm in response to Don’t break up the Wolves! Exhibit B: Nikola Pekovic

This year, the free-agent crop is such that I doubt they can save $ on this, unless he signs here before visiting other teams. Last year, Hibbert, Lopez, and Asik were all on the market. With that said, Portland's interest seems overrated considering they spent a lottery pick on Meyers Leonard (who has shown enough in limited minutes to make them think twice). I'm aware of what's happened between the 2 franchises recently, but it seems overstated in this case. What should worry the Wolves is...

Posted on 04/10/13 at 03:52 pm in response to Don’t break up the Wolves! Exhibit B: Nikola Pekovic

But when everyone's offering the max (which is possible), it's not really up to them. Also, when a team lacks depth like they do, is the best answer really to pay the max for anyone? They won't have enough cap space to do anything under the cap if they sign Pek (exceptions are a possibility but only for 1-2 players). The rest are agree to disagree: Bynum will be Collins' call, and he loves Pek; Horford's a PF playing C because they have Smith for now, and he has been effective when paired...

Posted on 04/11/13 at 11:31 am in response to Don’t break up the Wolves! Exhibit B: Nikola Pekovic

And reciprocate with the same offer if Pek doesn't get at least 1 max offer. ESPN says it'll be Collins' choice whether he returns, and he never quits a job (everywhere he's been he was fired). As for $, teams will always overpay for centers. Both Hibbert and Lopez got max offers as RFAs last summer, the first under the new CBA, and that was despite Lopez looking like an injury-prone, soft player who couldn't defend or rebound. Advanced stats indicated that deal was a massive overpay, but...

Posted on 04/04/13 at 05:54 pm in response to Don’t break up the Wolves! Exhibit A: Chase Budinger

So much can be accomplished by being decisive, and his decisiveness makes him hard to guard. That game-winning layup early in the season vs. Indiana epitomized that. He's really not a great 3 pt shooter (his career % is similar to Barea's), but being able to the do the opposite of what the defense is playing him for makes him a unique threat.

It bothers me at times watching him have to share the court with Shved and Barea, because the team doesn't run sets when they're paired as much...

Posted on 03/25/13 at 09:53 am in response to Wolves assistant coach Bill Bayno Q&A: ‘All of the injuries hurt us on defense’

1) I agree with him on Rubio's gambling. I'd be much more concerned if he did that but was unable to execute the right rotations or guard someone straight up, but he can do both (as can AK and Dante). Restricting productive freelancers on defense doesn't result in better defense; the guys who can't create turnovers need to be in the right spots, but with the other guys, the reward outweighs the risk (they've sealed multiple games with forced turnovers).

2) Shved's issue has more to do...